A judge has dismissed for the second time an anti-trust lawsuit brought by a group of Long Island anesthesiologists against UnitedHealthcare and the data analytics firm Multiplan.
Suffolk County-based Long Island Anesthesiologists alleged a branch of the health insurance giant and Multiplan, which uses software to help insurers handle medical billing claims, colluded to lower reimbursement rates to the providers. On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Hector Gonzalez dismissed the case, finding the anesthesiologists failed to present evidence that the two companies had broken the law when rates allegedly plummeted by 80%.
The win is another boon for Multiplan, which faces a separate price-fixing lawsuit brought by the American Medical Association and the Illinois State Medical Society. The groups alleged Multiplan, which changes its name to Claritev earlier this year, conspired with commercial health insurers to coerce providers into accepting lower payments for out-of-network services.
In the Long Island case, the doctors alleged the two companies planned to use billing models and provider contracts to induce doctors to accept lower reimbursement rates.
The Eastern District ruled that the anesthesiologists failed to connect UnitedHealthcare and Multiplan to an illegal agreement to drive down rates. The case, first filed in 2022, had been previously thrown out but was allowed to be resubmitted with amendments. The judge dismissed the case a second time with prejudice, meaning lawyers for Multiplan will not be able to file a new complaint in the future.
